1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for continuous casting of metals, in particular, steel, for use in a solidified bending process and including a vertical strand guide located downstream of a continuous casting mold, a bending driver adjoining the strand guide and bending rollers of which reciprocate between a cold strand (starter bar) path-releasing position and an operational position, a bending device for separating a cold strand from a hot strand and for guiding the hot strand along a radius to a following straightening driver, and at least one, lower-lying drive roller pair for inserting or withdrawing the cold strand.
2. Description of Related Art
The device described above is disclosed in DE 196 37 545 A1. There, a device for diverting a thin slab, which is cast in a continuous casting mold, from a vertical in a horizontal direction with the listed features, is described. With such CSP-casting machines, the strand guide is formed as a vertical part. This provides a number of advantages. Beneath the strand guide, which adjoins the continuous casting mold, there is arranged a bending driver that performs the functions of xe2x80x9cdriving hot and cold strandxe2x80x9d and bending of a solidified hot strand in a radius. The radius varies between 3000 and 3250 mm in many generations of CSP-casting machines.
The bending driver with the radius require a height of about 4,000 mm. This height and an associated strand path, up to the present, have not been used in a strand guide.
An object of the present invention is to utilize the height, which up to the present has not been used, for guiding the strand or to reduce the total height.
The object of the invention is achieved according to the invention, based on the device described above, by providing a bending driver consisting, on the one hand, of a folding segment pivotally supported on a fixed side and provided with a row of rollers which limit a bending path in an operational position and, on the other hand, of a loose element displaceable or pivotable, on a loose side, into and out of the operational position and bending rollers of which form, respectively, in the operational position, counter-rollers to rollers of the roller row, by displacing the loose element in and out of the operational position with paired, extending parallel to each other piston-cylinder units, and by displacing the loose element in a free space with respect to the hot strand for overbending, i.e., for separating the hot strand from the cold strand.
Thereby, not only all of the functions of a conventional bending driver are performed, while retaining a cold strand system of a straight cold strand that has proved itself but, in addition, an increased strand support length is obtained due to the segmented construction and addition of guide rollers. Moreover, the production output can be noticeably increased. Further, the existing CSP-plants can be easily modified with little costs as the existing base elements can be used. The folding segment can be formed as a vertical segment as all other strand guide segments. The path of the cold strand becomes reduced, and a separation of the strand guide into the folding segment and the loose element takes place.
According to further features of the invention, in order to limit the path of the introduction of the cold strand the folding segment, which is located on the fixed side, is supported on an above-located pivot axle and is connected with a hydraulic piston-cylinder unit, which is located opposite the pivot axle, for displacement in and out of the operational position.
A further improvement consists in that in the region of the vertical strand guide, on the fixed side, there is provided a base frame which supports the piston-cylinder unit for the folding segment. Thereby, the hydraulic cylinder can be supported on a base.
Also, a heat protection can be provided, with the base frame being provided, on its side facing the vertical strand guide, with water-cooled bolster plates.
The opening width for the cold strand can further be widened, with a longer strand guide, by providing in the folding segment, according to an alternative proposition, of a segment element which reciprocates on the folding segment transverse to a direction of the cast strand.
Further function can be obtained by providing on the folding segment, remotely from the cast strand path, a projection with which the piston cylinder unit for pivoting the folding segment is connected.
According to further features, the displaceable, in the folding segment, segment element is provided with its own displacement drive.
In order to further lengthen the strand guide and thereby to reduce the plant height, it is proposed to arrange in a strand displacement direction, behind the folding segment and in front of the straightening driver, a circular strand guide segment.
With a corresponding height of the plant, the strand guide can further be lengthened by arranging in the strand displacement direction, in front of the folding segment, an additional vertical element.
According to another arrangement of the folding segment, the folding segment is arranged on the frame of the drive roller pair for the cold strand and is vertically extended.
A further advantage consists in that the piston-cylinder units of the loose element, in connection with a following liquid core reduction, are hydraulically controlled.
The embodiments of the invention, which are shown in the drawings, will be described in detail below.